I’ve lived on this planet for 37 years, and thus far, I’ve attended a bunch of memorable summer get-togethers.
Pulling up to someone’s backyard and being treated to the best combination of food, music, drinks and people is a regular occurrence in my life once the weather permits everyone to party outside for hours. Now that the 3-day Memorial Day weekend has come around once again, I’m looking forward to helping my friend set up their very first BBQ for one of America’s favorite annual traditions.
I know the basics when it comes to putting together a memorable Memorial Day backyard cookout — the grill has to work overtime to provide the food everyone’s going to eat, the coolers have to be filled with all manner of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and the music has to hit.
Even though I have that standard BBQ planning know-how to work from, I still needed some assistance in making sure my planning would satisfy my friend’s requirements for his Memorial Day weekend gathering. With the aid of ChatGPT, I came away with the perfect BBQ schedule, playlist and menu for this year’s festivities.
Early to mid-afternoon preparations
Even though Memorial Day officially falls on Monday, it’s way better for most folks to indulge in the BBQ celebrations on either day of the holiday weekend. After making my request to ChatGPT for the ultimate Memorial Day weekend schedule, playlist and menu, it came back with a nice start to the early afternoon:
- 1 pm — Setup & chill arrival vibes : Make sure the ice coolers are filled, the lawn games are out, the burgers are prepped and the playlist starts smooth. Serve a fresh fruit platter, chips + guac, pasta salad, lemonade and iced tea first. Your playlist should include “Location” by Khalid, “Lovin on Me” by Jack Harlow, “Saturn” by SZA and “Feels Like Summer” by Childish Gambino.
From 12:30 pm until 2:30 pm, ChatGPT laid out the ultimate BBQ menu for attendees spread out across three mandatory categories:
- Grill essentials : Smash burgers, BBQ chicken wings/drumsticks/thighs, BBQ ribs, hot dogs/sausages and honey jerk shrimp skewers.
- Elite side dishes : Mac & cheese, baked beans, corn on the cob, potato salad, watermelon feta salad and Hawaiian rolls.
- Sauce bar : Classic BBQ, honey BBQ, Alabama white sauce, chipotle ranch and garlic aioli.
With a solid menu now in place, the chatbot went on to suggest a list of 13 songs that make a great fit for the afternoon vibe:
- “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
- “FE!N” by Travis Scott
- “TEXAS HOLD 'EM” by Beyoncé
- “Paint The Town Red” BY Doja Cat
- “So Fresh, So Clean” by Outkast
- “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
- “Hot In Herre” by Nelly
- “Yeah!” by Usher feat. Lil’ Jon and Ludacris
- “Get Low” by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Ying Yang Twins
- “Summer” by Calvin Harris
- “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
- “Pon de Replay” by Rihanna
Late afternoon to evening escapades
With the daytime fun for the BBQ coming into focus, the chatbot went on to assemble the perfect assortment of drinks, dessert and songs that keep the party going until it comes to a satisfying end:
- Drinks : Frozen margaritas, rum punch, strawberry mojitos, watermelon sangria and Arnold Palmer spiked half & half (iced tea & lemonade).
- Dessert : Banana pudding, peach cobbler and ice cream sandwiches.
- Playlist : “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake, “Buy You A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” by T-Pain feat. Yung Joc, “Unbreakable” by Alicia Keys, “Good Life” by Kanye West feat. T-Pain and “Between the Sheets” by The Isley Brothers and “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers.
The takeaway
With every part of the Memorial Day weekend BBQ mapped out by ChatGPT, I took note of its best suggestions, added a few songs to the playlist it created and included some extra food and drink options based on what my friend told me about his guests’ preferences.
By combining my own experience hosting a crowd with ChatGPT’s recommendations, I now have a go-to Memorial Day weekend BBQ routine I can reuse and refine every year.
